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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. row — to paddle
  4. rule — government
  5. file — a document
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a line of people
  11. rule — a law
  12. ground — a position
  13. root — of a word
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. root — of a plant
  17. ground — crushed
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. row — a line
  20. cell — a phone
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. root — the cause
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. cell — in biology

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com